Bears Blitz

Published by Bear Heiser on November 16, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears will be enjoying a victory Monday at Halas Hall for the first time since Oct. 13. Sunday’s 21-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings proved the Bears aren’t dead just yet.

There was some good, and there was some bad:

Good: The defense allowed only 13 points after a three-game stretch that saw the opponent score 133 points.

Good/Bad: Quarterback Jay Cutler was his usual “Good Jay, Bad Jay” self in the win, throwing for 330 yards with three touchdowns and an all-too-common two interceptions.

Good: Wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery got back to being one of the most explosive duos in football, combining for 18 catches on 27 targets for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

Bad: Penalties continue to haunt the Bears on both sides of the ball. The Marc Trestman-coached team was whistled for seven penalties for 60 yards.

Despite the uneven performance, the Bears got on Sunday what they’ve been needing to get for over a month, a win. Chicago now sits at 4-6 through 11 weeks. Finding ways to build on wins is the only thing that matters from here.

The Bears finally “fought back,” as defensive end Jared Allen said after the game, via Michael C. Wright of ESPN Chicago. Allen just needs to hope that he and his Bears teammates have enough fight left over for the final six games, when the Bears enter each game with must-win expectations.

Next Sunday brings a very beatable opponent in the Lovie Smith-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Phil Emery-Trestman regime really cannot afford a loss to Lovie, the head coach Emery jettisoned two seasons ago after a 10-win season.

Not only is next week’s game imperative for the Bears’ postseason hopes, but a loss would look very symbolic given the irony of Trestman’s struggles during this very disappointing season. Jeremiah Ratliff knows the importance of living in the now, via NBC Chicago’s Peggy Kusinski:

This is why the Bears need to clean up a few things before they take the field on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

Can the Bears continue to find ways to win even when Jay Cutler turns it over?

Let’s just rip the Band-Aid right off: Cutler was better, but he needs to be even better if the Bears are to make a run at six straight. Completing 72 percent of his passes, Cutler registered 330 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Bears quarterback, for the most part, took what the defense gave him. For reasons unknown, the Vikings’ defensive-minded head coach, Mike Zimmer, decided to play man coverage against Marshall and Jeffery. Cutler was able to find a way of exploiting the Vikings defense that came in allowing just 214 passing yards per game, fourth-best in the NFL.

One of Cutler’s best moments came in the fourth quarter, when the Bears were deep in the red zone. Cutler stood in shotgun, barking out an audible or a dummy call of some sort. Marshall, the outside receiver on the right side, waved his hands before the snap, signaling he had single coverage. Cutler took the snap, read left and saw nothing; he then turned right and fired a high back-shoulder throw to Marshall, who made a great hands-catch.

He did three things well on this play. 1. He likely audibled at the line to get a touchdown-scoring play. 2. He didn’t lock onto the first receiver in his progression; instead he targeted his best receiver and put it on him to make a play. 3. He brought back the high back-shoulder throw, something that has been gone from his repertoire for some time now.

Matt Bowen, an NFL Writer at Bleacher Report, made a good observation on Cutler’s performance, which was evident on the first Cutler-to-Marshall touchdown pass:

With the good, though, comes the bad.

Cutler’s two interceptions were just as head-scratching as the 10 that preceded them. The most puzzling of them came after Cutler dropped back and delivered the ball off his back foot in the direction of tight end Martellus Bennett, who continued running upfield.

Before the ball was snapped, Adam Hoge of 87.8 The Game FM noted that Marshall could be seen screaming in Cutler’s direction, pointing out the single coverage.

Sure, the Bears got back in the win column. Cutler had a halfway decent game. But his closing box score cannot read “two interceptions.” It simply cannot if Chicago intends on winning more football games and against better teams than Minnesota. Cutler and the Bears have lost every game in which they’ve lost the turnover battle. So, again, the bad interceptions must get cleaned up.

Here’s a fun fact on Cutler interceptions, via Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times:

Senseless penalties are…well…senseless

One week after getting whistled for 11 penalties for 163 yards, the Bears went out and got flagged seven times for 60 yards.

On the Vikings’ first possession of the game, the Bears appeared to hold Minnesota to a three-and-out series, but defensive end Willie Young was whistled for offsides, resulting in first down. Minnesota’s drive ended with a Blair Walsh field goal.

The penalty gaffes continued on the Bears’ next drive, when Cutler was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after yelling at an official. The Bears offense had gone 50 yards on the drive before the penalty setback. The drive ended on a missed Robbie Gould field goal. It’s worth noting that Gould hadn’t attempted a field goal since Oct. 12, over a month ago.

In the second quarter, Alshon Jeffery had a first-down catch on third down called back due to a Bennett offensive pass interference. Chicago punted two plays later.

Possibly the worst of them all came in the fourth quarter after the Bears’ final touchdown, when Gould kicked the ball out of bounds, which allowed the Vikings, who were down 11 points with eight or so minutes left, to attempt a comeback drive from their own 40-yard line.

None of Sunday’s penalties ended up being backbreaking, but that’s only because the Bears got lucky. Can you imagine the level of outrage you’d be seeing if the Bears somehow did lose the game as a result of penalties? It would be ugly; that’s for sure.

The Bears finally won at home, but there were no-shows

Congratulations to Jared Allen, who won his first-ever game at Soldier Field in the win over his former team. The win also happens to be Chicago’s first in four tries this season at Soldier Field. There’s been no rhyme or reason for the Bears’ struggles at home. Trestman’s team has been equally bad at home and on the road.

Something rather interesting about Sunday’s win is the fact that there were nearly 6,500 no-shows, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs:

When is the last time you’ve heard of no-shows for a Bears game at Soldier Field? 2007, maybe? It’s certainly understandable for Bears fans to not want to show up after the three-game stretch that took place leading up to Minnesota.

There was talk of a boycott, but it never went anywhere. The temperature was cold, and snow was falling on the field. So perhaps that could have something to do with the empty seats.

Now there’s little chance of there being open seats when Lovie comes to town, but if the Bears find a way to trip and fall with their old coach in the house, well, you can be sure there will be fewer and fewer folks in attendance at Soldier Field after the temperatures really drop and the winds pick up.

Chicago plays four of its final six games at home. If this whole fan no-show thing continues, it will be a talking point for the players and coaches until the season is over. It’s a distraction the team doesn’t need, but it’s also a gesture that could force management into making changes if this thing goes even more sour.

All stats provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

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